Baseball team splits doubleheader against Albion

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College baseball team split a pair of one-run games against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College today at the Cutler Athletic Complex. The Britons won the first game 5-4 before the Comets walked-off with an 8-7 win in the nightcap.

Final Scores: Albion 5, Olivet 4; Olivet 8, Albion 7
Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Michigan
Records: Olivet 7-19 overall, 2-10 MIAA; Albion 11-15 overall, 6-5 MIAA

• The Britons led 1-0 behind an inside-the-park home run in the top half of the first inning.
• Olivet did not have a hit but scored two runs in the bottom half of the first. Back-to-back Albion errors and a walk loaded the bases. Blake Hawkins' sacrifice fly scored junior Sylas Woll with the first run and sophomore Gabriel Kirck's sacrifice fly scored senior Matt Fisher with the second run.
• The Comets extended their lead to 4-1 on a squeeze play and RBI-single by Kirck in the third inning.
• The Britons took advantage of a two Olivet errors to plate a pair of runs in the sixth inning.
• Albion hit a two-out home run in the seventh to make the score 5-4.
• The Comets were retired 1-2-3 in their half of the seventh.

• Olivet was limited to five hits.
• Senior Trevor Savage was 2-for-3.
• Woll scored two runs.
• Sophomore Keegan Kuha started on the mound but did not factor in the decision. He gave three runs (one earned) on two hits, while striking out eight over six innings.
• Senior Brendan Redding was charged with the pitching loss after giving up the two seventh-inning runs.

• The Britons totaled six hits.
• Zac Gray was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
• Matt McGann had one hit, with two RBI.
• Sean Cooper was the winning pitcher and Brayden Raether earned the save.

• Albion took a 4-0 lead with a run in the third and three runs in the top half of the fourth.
• The Comets cut their deficit down to one run when Kirck blasted a three-run home run over the right field fence in the bottom half of the fourth.
• Olivet went ahead 5-4 with a pair of runs in the fifth and extended their lead to 7-4 with two more runs in the eighth.
• Down to its last strike, the Britons used a three-run homer in the ninth to tie the game.
• The first two Olivet batters struck out in the last half of the ninth. Hawkins singled into shallow center field. Kirck drew a walk to move Hawkins into scoring position. Freshman Niko Ponos entered the game to run for Hawkins. Senior Ben Compton walked to load the bases. On the first pitch to him, senior John Kortz hit the ball towards the third baseman who could not make a clean play, and Ponos crossed the dish with the winning run.

• Olivet registered six hits by six different players.
• Woll, Fisher, Kirck, Hawkins, Savage and senior Logan Sella each notched one hit.
• Fisher scored two runs.
• Senior Max Daust started on the mound and threw four innings. He allowed four runs on five hits.
• Senior Ryan Rivard tossed three hitless innings before sophomore Alex Rose tossed one hitless inning.
• Senior Hunter Henson gave up the Albion runs in the ninth but was credited with the win.

• Albion had eight hits, including two for Gray and Mark Lauro.
• Lauro collected three RBI and two runs.
• Ashton Abnet was the starting pitcher and gave up three runs on two hits over four innings.
• Pete Loch and Andrew Renner each threw two innings of relief, combining to allow four runs (one earned) on three hits.
• Raether was tagged with the pitching loss.

• Olivet battles Adrian College for its next three-game MIAA series. The first two games are Saturday at the Cutler Athletic Complex, and the series finale is Sunday at Nicolay Field in Adrian. Action both days gets started at 1 p.m.